Washington High School feels short-changed

Principal says $13.6 million in improvements isn't enough money.

Principal says $13.6 million in improvements isn't enough money.

April 01, 2007

The wooden bleachers in Washington High School's gym are originals, installed when the school opened in 1960. Ditto for the swimming pool. You can see the patch job that was done on swimming lane 4, where the floor cracked a while back. The yellowing ceiling tiles and the light fixtures above the pool are vintage, too. Over in the auditorium, the seats are originals, and the stage curtains are in tatters. The orchestra pit is unusable because it is filled with wooden braces holding up the floor above it. "Can you believe they told us we didn't need new drapes?'' Principal George McCullough Jr. asked. "I couldn't believe it. The drapes are dry-rotting.'' Outside, the junior varsity football field is the only playing area with lights. After-school or early evening tennis, baseball and soccer games sometimes finish in the dark, McCullough said. "Here's a perfect example of how the west end is short-changed,'' said McCullough, Washington's principal since 2002. McCullough said many parts of the school are the same as when he graduated from there in 1968. He knows what Washington could be. He spent 20 years as principal of Riley High School before taking the helm at Washington. During his reign at Riley, the South Bend Community School Corp. spent roughly $50 million to build a new Riley and tear down the old one.Washington has not been totally ignored. It is entering the final phase of a $13.4 million renovation effort that will include enlarging the central office area; improving the media center; and making some changes in the auditorium. But, McCullough said, $13.4 million is a pittance compared to the price tag of building a new Riley and making extensive changes at Adams High School, another $50 million project. At the March 19 school board meeting, McCullough pointed out that two-thirds of the South Bend public school students live west of Michigan Street, although Washington is the smallest high school in the city in terms of enrollment. Last week, its student population was 1,369. Figures from the school corporation place Washington's capacity at 1,800. Nevertheless, the school is overcrowded, McCullough said. It has 89 teachers but only 72 classrooms. That means some teachers have to keep their supplies on carts and travel from room to room between classes. The school needs 15 more classrooms, according to McCullough. Renovations over the past couple of years have added nine new classrooms but took away seven, McCullough said. For example, expanding the cafeteria 2 1/2 years ago resulted in the loss of two classrooms. Creating a lecture hall known as a "large group instruction'' area also came at the cost of two classrooms. Opening a school store to sell school supplies, clothing items and snacks also came at the cost of a classroom. "We ended up with a net gain of two classrooms,'' McCullough said. But, he added, he expects to lose two classrooms later this year when the office is expanded. The net gain will be zero. Six portable classrooms are parked behind the school, and four of them have classes in them. The two that are empty will be used as temporary quarters for some of the displaced office workers during the expansion. Until a few months ago, McCullough said, classes had been taking place on stage, in the cafeteria and in the library. When Robert Zimmerman took over six months ago as school superintendent, McCullough said, he directed those classes to be moved into the portable units. "No other high school in South Bend has this,'' he said. Next: A look at what McCullough describes as safety issues.Nancy J. Sulok's columns appear on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. You can reach her at nsulok@sbtinfo.com, or by writing c/o South Bend Tribune, 225 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend, IN 46626, telephone (574) 235-6234.